All Out to Berkeley City Council: Stop Urban Shield

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ALL OUT TO BERKELEY CITY COUNCIL:

In an unprecedented move, the Berkeley City Council is considering fully withdrawing their support for local agency participation in the Urban Areas Security Initiative and Urban Shield. This meeting is critical for the fight against Urban Shield. A decision in favor of pulling out of Urban Shield by the Berkeley City Council paves the way for other cities in the Bay Area to do the same.

Date: Tuesday, April 25th at 7:00pm

Location: Berkeley City Council Berkeley City Council Chambers, 2134 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way between Allston and Addison (near downtown Berkeley BART)

Look for more information in the coming days about calling Berkeley City Council members to urge them to support ending Urban Shield!

CALL IN DAYS: Tomorrow, April 20th and Monday, April 24th, Call Berkeley City Council and demand that they end police militarization. Here is sample call in language and contact info:

“Dear Councilperson _________,

I am writing to urge you and all Berkeley City Council members to take leadership in putting an end to Berkeley’s engagement with the militarization of police and disaster preparedness represented by the annual UrbanShield exercises and weapons expo, funded by DHS through the Urban Areas Security Initiative.Urban Shield’s emphasis on SWAT teams as the response to emergencies – including natural disasters – as well as the extremely militarized scenarios, diminishes resources for responding to the ordinary emergencies community members face every day. Berkeley should not be participating in war games funded by the Department of Homeland Security, which involve not only nine Bay Area counties, but teams from around the United States.That is why I ask you to exercise your leadership and reject any future funding from UASI, Berkeley’s participation in Urban Shield, and to stand with Alameda County communities, and people across the country.